Ruthless Scammers Prey Upon Elderly Sioux Falls Victim

A woman in her 90’s had tens of thousands of dollars siphoned from her nest egg because of promises of a bigger payoff.

Sioux Falls Police Public Information Officer Sam Clemens said it began in early September. She got a phone call from somebody who claimed to be with a reputable organization.

“This person said that she had won $5,000,000 from Publisher’s Clearing House and said that she needed to pay some money for both the IRS and some taxes.”

The victim sent multiple checks to the scam artist, with the scammers continuing to call and ask for more money. By the time the ruse was discovered, Clemens said a lot of cash was lost.

“At some point, either the victim realized it or someone intervened on her behalf. She had sent over $80,000 to these people. Since it was a check there may be something to follow up with this.”

Clemens says in the early portion of this investigation police do have an address where the checks were sent and the possibility of surveillance cameras at the banks where the checks were cashed. For the time being, Sioux Falls Police do not have any suspects.